City

Durham area guide

Who lives in Durham, how they live, and how it compares on crime, schools and transport.

Council: County Durham
Region: North East
Population: 52,352 (2024)

DurhamCity

At a glance

What Durham is like

Durham is a city in County Durham in the North East. It is home to about 52,352 people across 18,081 households. 62.6% of households own their home, 23.2% rent privately and 13.8% are in social housing. The largest age group is 20–24, and 34.2% of adults are in work. On deprivation, it sits near the middle of the scale for England. Higher-harm crime is broadly in line with the England and Wales average.

Scores

How Durham compares

Headline figures for Durham, set against England as a whole.

AffluenceMore

7.6/ 10

Around the middle. Scored from 1 (most deprived in England) to 10 (least deprived).

CrimeMore

6/ 10

Around the middle: 28.7 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year vs 31.1 nationally.

TransportMore

3.7/ 10

Limited: 1 station within a mile, 10 bus stops within 800m.

SchoolsMore

95%

Rated good or better across 19 inspected schools in Durham.

Household incomeMore

£52,689

Average annual income before tax, higher than 50% of neighbourhoods in England and Wales.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where Durham differs most from the national average.

01
A student area
35.5% of adults are full-time students, against 7.9% across England. Expect HMO demand and term-time turnover.
02
A young populationPositive
28.5% of residents are aged 20 to 34 (the peak renting age), against 19.6% across England.
03
A big private rental marketPositive
23.2% of households rent privately, against 20.5% across England. Tenant demand is established here.
04
Well-rated schoolsPositive
95% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better.

Questions

Durham FAQs

Is Durham a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 7.6 out of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 10 is the least deprived in England. Higher-harm crime runs at 28.7 per 1,000 people a year, band 6 of 10 nationally. 95% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better. Transport connectivity scores 3.7 out of 10 (limited).

Is Durham safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Higher-harm crime (violence, robbery, burglary, vehicle crime and weapons offences) runs at 28.7 offences per 1,000 people a year around Durham, broadly in line with the 31.1 average across England and Wales, band 6 of 10.

Who lives in Durham?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 20–24, at 18.6% of residents. 62.6% of households own their home. The most common property type is semi-detached (46.7%).

Which council covers Durham?

The local authority for Durham is County Durham.

Durham comes under County Durham in the North East. Council tax, planning applications and bin collections are handled there.

How well connected is Durham?

Connectivity scores 3.7 out of 10.

There are 10 bus stops within 800m and 1 station or tram stop within a mile, scoring 3.7 out of 10 (limited). The nearest station is Durham Rail Station, 0.7 miles away.

Sources: Census 2021 (ONS); ONS mid-year population estimates; police recorded crime; the English, Welsh and Scottish indices of deprivation; ONS small area income estimates; ONS private rents; DfE, Welsh and Scottish school registers and Ofsted; DfT NaPTAN; ORR estimates of station usage. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right.

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